Next to doughnuts, my two favorite snacks are rice krispie treats and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Mmm….a nice glass of milk and any of those three snacks sounds delicious, in my opinion, at any time of the year.
Since winter’s thaw has slowly started, and hints of spring are in the air, Kyle thought it would be an excellent time to share these sweet, bright and colorful treats with our followers. They are a mashup of two of my favorites, that’s right – PB & J and rice krispie treats! Woot, woot!
FULL DISCLOSURE: There isn’t actually any jelly in these treats, however, using the fruit-flavored cereal (combined with the peanut butter in the marshmallow goo) really elicits the same fruity/nutty, sweet/salty combo of a PB & J sandwich. The end result is a new take on the sweet, crispy treat with a unique, but ultimately, familiar flavor.
In addition to the fabulous taste of rice krispie treats, the ease in which these dreamy sweet squares an be made is even more alluring. They come together in about 5 minutes, require just a handful of ingredients – most of which are gluten free (depending on the brand of cereal) – and are really quite attainable whenever a craving hits. This, of course, makes them also super dangerous, but I digress….
So, the original recipe is a great starting point for infinite marshmallow treat adaptations. In fact, during the early stages of this blog we shared a s’mores style adaptation – but Kyle was looking to switch things up a bit.
Originally, Kyle was planning on making a peanut butter crispy treat with chocolate crispy cereal. I mean, peanut butter paired with chocolate is always a powerful flavor combo – am I wrong? So when Kyle was strolling down the cereal aisle at the grocery store he had an epiphany as he walked past the Fruity Pebbles: Would the fruity flavor of this cereal pair well with a peanut butter-marshmallow filling to create the ultimate sweet and salty treat? Well, he had to find out. SPOILER ALERT….
Uh, these treats were awesome.
The recipe follows the standard crispy treat recipe with a few simple modifications. First, there is the swapping in of the Fruity Pebbles for Rice Krispies. Then there is the addition of peanut butter to the marshmallow/butter mixture with a healthy dose of salt to balance out the extra sweetness from the fruit-flavored cereal.
The end result had all the crisp and gooey glory of the original treats, but with the added sweet-and-salty combo, creating a flavor that is interestingly reminiscent of a glorious peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The perfect treat, a uniting of all that is delicious in my snacking world.
Now, be warned, leftovers of these dreamy morsels do not last very long. Before savoring this treat, try popping them in the microwave, this will help in achieving maximum gooiness for each serving. These treats are delicious and colorful to be served at any Easter or springtime festivities – you cannot go wrong!
- 6 tablespoons (¾ of a stick) butter
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (10 ounce) package Marshmallows
- 5 cups Fruity Pebbles (or other fruit flavored crispy rice cereal)
- Line an 8x8x2-inch cake pan with parchment paper, leaving about a 1-inch overhang on to opposite sides.
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the peanut butter and salt until the peanut butter is melted.
- Turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows until smooth.
- Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the cereal. Quickly spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Flatten the mix evenly with a spatula or buttered piece of parchment paper, pressing into the edges and corners.
- Let cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes), then cut into squares to serve. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Melissa Griffiths says
What a fun combo! Going to try these with my kiddos soon.
Rebecca says
Thank you for this revival of a 70’s go to snack! I was looking for a crisped rice treat recipe that included peanut butter. Thank you for posting this fun, easy and yummy recipe. I just happened to have fruity flavored crispy rice cereal in the cupboard for my grand kids. It tasted just like I remembered. Love your blog!